DIRTY LEAD

[oldwood]

When casting round balls for m/l use, the balls should be as soft as possible. I don't flux round ball lead because fluxing causes any unwanted tin , and other alloys that harden ball lead to mix w/the good stuff. Tin , antimony , etc float to the top in the pot and should be skimmed off with the dirt. Fluxing came into use when folks began to make bullets for modern ctg. rounds where velocity is higher . So ,don't flux , skim the crap off the top before you pour metal for r/b's.

 

[RjSixgun]

I use a can of spray paint to paint any hard lead ingots I have. It keeps me from accidently stacking them with the soft lead or putting them into a soft lead pot.
I run 3 pots, 1 for melting scrap, 1 for soft lead and 1 for hard lead. I use soft lead for revolvers and minie balls. Hard lead is used to make round ball for my 1842 smoothbore.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I have a set of cheap metal stamps and just stamp “soft” on my ingots of soft lead. Range scrap and harder lead is stamped “hard.”

 

[deerstalkert]

i too have a set of stamps. i test the hardness and stamp that hardness on the ingots. cast unmentionable bullets for years, some as hard as 22 b.
now just dead soft rb and some conical. need to shoot more. haven't needed to cast for months.